It’s been about a year now since I have transitioned from being a school leader to working at a university full-time, helping to prepare future teachers and school leaders. At the university level, it’s a job expectation to write and research. While it’s important for school leaders to do that, let’s face it….. the realities of that life (I say “life” very intentionally, since being a school leader, if one wants to serve the school and community well, is much more than a job or even a career) make it so difficult to do that.

When I was a school leader, especially a “newbie” assistant principal at a large suburban high school, I often thought about all the things I learned on the job, often the hard way. While I enjoy talking with Ed. Leadership students about change theory, organizational theory, school law, and administrative supervision, I often find in the feedback from students that what they enjoy and value most in the discussions are the anectodotal stories associated with being a school leader – either the ones I can provide or the ones from other school/district leaders who present class sessions.

This blog will be to talk about some of those stories. It will be titled,”Experiences I Wasn’t Prepared for as a School Leader.”